This Weekend: Bonus Fall Fun!

Posted in Around the Garden on October 11 2013, by Ann Rafalko

For many, this weekend is a three-day weekend and we’ll be open on Monday to help you pass the extra day in one of New York City’s most beautiful natural spaces. That means an extra day of fall fun for everyone!

Fill your weekend with spooky fun in the Haunted Pumpkin Garden and the cultural immersion of Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden. Our two fall exhibitions come with a plethora of fun activities including pumpkin carving demonstrations, taiko drumming, wildlife encounters, and tours. And don’t miss the opening of Close: The Photography of Allan Pollok-Morris, going live in the Ross Gallery this weekend.

Start your Columbus Day weekend off right by joining our free Saturday bird walk around the grounds. It’s migration time, so you never know who you’ll spot in addition to our regular flock of raptors, turkeys, little brown jobbers, and colorful characters.

And if that’s not enough, our 250-acres are starting to slip into their fall finery. There are leaves to crunch, trails to walk, and roses to smell. That’s right, roses! Many of the roses in the gorgeous Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden bloom a second time in October, and the fall light really makes them shine. Another garden in full glory is the Native Plant Garden which is full of incredible native plants that smell and look amazing right now.

Saturday, October 12

Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
The diverse habitats of the Botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with an expert to learn about bird-friendly habitats, migrating species, and birds that make a permanent home at the Garden.

Pumpkin Carver’s Studio – 11 a.m. – 5 p .m.
In the Discovery Center’s Bendheim Global Greenhouse
Watch how pumpkin creations are carved as an expert carver translates ideas into art. Learn some tips to try at home on your own pumpkins and gourds.

Ugh! Bugs & Creepy Creatures of Halloween – 12 & 2 p.m.
At the Clay Family Picnic Pavilions
Some of the animals that make us scream are actually the coolest animals around. Come slither, slide, creep, and scurry along with us and learn why these “creepy” animals aren’t so scary after all. Participants will meet critters from around the world for some hands-on animal presentations and discover the unique adaptations which help them survive in their habitats.

Kiku Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Learn about these special chrysanthemums and see why they are the most celebrated Japanese fall-flowering plants.

Taiko Drumming – 1 & 3 p.m.
On the Conservatory Lawn
Thunderous and thrilling, the taiko (Japanese drum) has been called “the voice and spirit of the Japanese people.” From its roots in agriculture and use in the ancient music in shrines and temples, traditional taiko folk music is believed to have entertained the gods, attracted good fortune, driven away evil forces and insects, lent strength and courage to warriors, and celebrated life.

Gone Batty! Live Bat Encounter – 1 & 3 p.m.
At the Clay Family Picnic Pavilions
Meet a Big Brown Bat from North America and come face-to-face with the largest bat in the world, the Gigantic Flying Fox of Malaysia. Find out how to help protect these unique mammals.

Home Gardening Demonstration: Making the Most of Autumn Vegetables
In the Perennial – 2 p.m.
Join us and celebrate fall’s harvest. Autumn vegetables look and taste beautiful on your table. Learn how to create decorative table arrangements that can then be transformed into scrumptious recipes. Grow your favorite produce late into the fall.

Native Plant Garden Tour – 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 100,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season.

Sunday, October 13

Kiku Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Learn about these special chrysanthemums and see why they are the most celebrated Japanese fall-flowering plants.

Monday, October 14

Conservatory Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Explore the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, an acre of plants under glass, with one of the Garden’s Guides. Take an ecotour around the world through 11 distinct habitats, including two types of rain forest, deserts of the Americas and of Africa, and aquatic and carnivorous plant displays.

Ongoing Children’s Programs

The Haunted Pumpkin Garden
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
September 21 – October 31; Tuesdays – Fridays 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.;
Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday, October 14, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, and bats. On October 19 & 20, watch Master Carvers Ray Villafane and Andy Bergholtz of Food Network fame transform humongous pumpkins into unearthly creatures. It’s so much fun, it’s scary!

Parades Daily! – Weekdays, 1:30 p.m., Weekends and Holidays, 1 & 3 p.m.
Story Readings – Weekends and Holidays only, 2 & 3:30 p.m.

Pollinator Pals: Bees and Butterflies
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
August 20 – October 11, 2013; 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.
The Family Garden is buzzing in late summer! Join us to learn about important pollinators: our honeybees and the monarch butterflies passing us by on their way to Mexico. Get buzzy doing the honeybee dance, observe up-close the workings of a beehive, and sample honey from different nectar sources.

Scarecrow Weekend – 1:30-5:30 p.m.
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
October 12 – 14, 2013; 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Help us dress up a scarecrow to fill our garden with friendly faces as we prepare for fall harvest. One scarecrow per family.

This Weekend: Bonus Fall Fun!

Share this: